Lifting jack device



March 12, 1957 PQPPE 2,784,940

LIF'TING JACK DEVICE Filed May 4, 1953 Ida 7770 Him m H POP/5E 1 57 W E Aylf nited States Patent LIFTIN G JACK DEVICE Heinrich Poppe, Grafenhausen, near Darmstadt, Germany Application May 4, 1953, Serial No. 352,807 Claims. (Cl. 254-120) The present invention relates to lifting devices.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a lifting jack for raising vehicles or parts thereof.

Lifting jacks of known type which are designed for manual operation usually require prolonged operation in order to raise the vehicle a suflicient distance to enable repairs thereto to be made, many of these prior known devices relying, for example, on screw thread arrange ments which make necessary a long turning process for raising the load the distance required. Prior known devices which raise loads comparatively rapidly generally are not easy to operate by the manual power of the average user.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a lifting device which overcomes the above disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lifting device of the above type which will raise loads quickly and safely with a minimum of effort.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a lifting device of the above type which may be securely locked when holding a load in the raised position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a lifting apparatus having a suitable supoprt on which it may effectively operate.

With the above objects in view, the present invention consists mainly in a moving device for moving loads away from a supporting surface, the device including, in combination, roller support means adapted to roll on the supporting surface in a predetermined direction, a lever arm pivoted at one end to the roller support means turnable about an axis located in a plane normal to the predetermined direction of rolling of the roller support means on the supporting surface, the lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved, and means for turning the lever arm about its pivot axis relative to the roller support means, whereby during engagement by the free end of the lever arm of the load to be moved and turning of the lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, the roller support means will automatically roll on the supporting surface in the predetermined direction toward the line of force applied by the free end of the lever arm against the load.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lever arm is connected to a handle arm, the two arms being rotatable about the pivot axis of the lever arm, and the lever arm adjacent its pivot axis being provided with pawl and ratchet means to releasably lock the lever arm against turning, so as to hold the load engaged by 'the lever arm in raised position.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention i11- cludes a track means in the form of a U-shaped rail in which the roller support of the lifting device may be guided and supported for rolling in a predetermined direction during raising of the load by operation of the lever arm.

The novel features which are considered as character- 'ice istic for the invention are appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation partly in section of a lifting device according to the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the roller track of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, a double arm lever 1 is shown, having a lever arm 5 which is adapted to engage a load or vehicle to be lifted, the lever 1 also having an arm 3 on which a tubular member 4, shown in dotted lines, is adapted to telescope. The tube 4 and arm 3 constitute a handle arm to which manual power may be applied for turning the lever 1 about the axle 2 so that the free end of lever arm 5 may engage a vehicle to be raised thereby. Lever 1 is mounted on a base member 7, which, as shown in the drawing, may be formed of an upright standard having upper portions through which axle 2 of lever 1 is inserted so as to pivotally mount lever 1 thereon. Lever arm 5 carries at the end thereof a bolt 6, on which there may be attached a supporting element (not shown), which may be in the form of a pan, bolt, or claw member.

Base member 7 is provided at the bottom thereof with rollers S and 9, which, as shown in Fig. 2, may be in the form of wheels arranged in pairs at the front and rear ends of the base member 7 rotatable about axles 18. The rollers, instead of being in the form of wheels, could merely be formed of single rollers extending across the front and rear of the base member 7.

Lever 1 is formed adjacent its pivot axle 2 with at fiattened portion, around the edge of which ratchet teeth 15 are formed, and a pawl 11 is rotatably mounted on base member 7 adjacent ratchet teeth 15 for pivoting about pin 12, so as to be engageable with any one of the ratchet teeth 15 during turning of lever 1 about its pivot axis 2. In order to lock pawl 11 in engagement with the teeth 15, a spring 13 is provided attached to base member 7 and bearing against pawl 11 to hold the same seated in one of the ratchet teeth 15. By this means, lever 1 is prevented from rotating in a clockwise directionas viewed in Fig.1, and the vehicle which has been lifted by the lifting device is thereby locked in raised position.

In order to release pawl 11 from engagement with the ratchet teeth 15 so as to lower the raised vehicle, a rod 14 is provided which is pivotally mounted on base member 7 and which has a bent end portion inserted between spring 13 and base member 7, so that upon swinging rod 14 as shown in the drawing, spring 13 is moved away from engagement with pawl 11 allowing lever 1 to be unlocked for lowering the vehicle.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2, roller track 10 is in the form of a channel-shaped rail of U-shaped cross-sectio-nal configuration having a bottom and upstanding side portions. The bottom of roller track 10 is formed with a pair of parallel elongated ridges 19 on which grooved rollers or wheels 89 are adapted to roll, and the inner surfaces of the sides of roller track 10 are formed with grooves 16 extending along the length of the roller track. As shown in Fig. 1, roller track 10 is open at one end and has an end plate 17 at the other end. The base member 7 of the lifting device is adapted to roll along the bottom of roller track 10 with the opposite ends of the axles 18 of rollers 8-9 extending into grooves In in the opposite sides of the roller track, the rollers being free to roll longitudinally in the roller track until stopped by end plate 17.

- In the operation of the device, the rollable base member set forth in particular in the 7 with its associated roller track 10 is placed in suitable position under a vehicle to be lifted, and lever 1 is rotated by means of arm 3 and tubular member 4 so that the free end of lever arm 5 engages the under side of the vehicle or a part thereof. A downward pressure on handle arm 3 rotates the lever arm through angle a and thereby raises the vehicle, by means of lever arm 5, through a distance V with force P. During this operation, base member 7 rolls forward beneath the vehicle toward the line of force applied against the vehicle through a distance it, so that the point of contact of the lever arm 5 with the load is arranged directly over the point of support on the supporting surface on which base member 7 rests.

By virtue of the construction of the device according to the present invention, a lifting apparatus is provided which is easily manipulated by manual power since the operation of lever 1 to raise the vehicle is accompanied by simultaneous rolling of its supporting base member 7 directly underneath the point of contact of the lever arm 5 with the load lifted, as a result of which the manual power applied to handle arm 3 is sufficient to easily raise the vehicle in a rapid and effective manner.

As lever 1 is turned in lifting the vehicle, ratchet teeth 15 move past pawl 11 resiliently pressed against the teeth until the desired height of the vehicle is reached, and by virtue of the pawl 11 engaging one of the teeth 15, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. I, lever 1 is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction, pawl 11 being securely retained in engagement with ratchet teeth 15 by spring 13, thus safely holding the load in raised position.

When it is desired now to lower the vehicle, it is necessary only to slightly raise the vehicle by downward operation of handle arm 3 and at the same time swinging rod 14 downward so as to release spring 13 from pressing against pawl 11', thereby unlocking the pawl from engagement with ratchet 15 so that lever 1 is free to turn in the clockwise direction to thereby lower the vehicle.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of lifting devices difiering from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as. embodied in lifting jacks. for raising vehicles, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying, current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting, features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning. and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A moving device for moving loads away from a supporting surface, comprising, in combination, an elongated track means adapted to rest against the supporting surface, said track means extending in a predetermined direction; roller support means adapted to roll on said track means in said predetermined direction; base means carried 'by said roller support means for movement therewith and having, a support standard extending transversely to said predetermined direction and beyond said roller support means; a lever arm pivoted at. one end to the outer end of said support standard turnable about an axis located in a plane normal to saidpredetermined directionof rolling of said roller support means on said track means, said lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved; means for turning said lever arm about. its pivot. axis relativeto said support standard; and

means for releasably locking said lever arm against turning with its free end moving toward the supporting surface, whereby during engagement-of the load to be moved by said free end of said lever arm and turning of said lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, said roller support means will automatically roll on said track means in said predetermined direction toward the line of force applied by said free end of said lever arm against the load.

2. A moving device for moving loads away from a supporting surface, comprising, in combination, an elongated track means adapted to rest against the supporting surface, said track. means extending in. a predetermined direction; roller support means adapted to roll on said track means in said predetermined direction; base means carried by said roller support means for movement therewith and having a support standard extending transversely to said predetermined direction and beyond said roller support means; a lever arm pivoted at one end to the outer end of said support standard of said base means turnable about an axis located ina plane normal to said predetermined direction of rolling of said roller support means on said track means, said lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved; means for turning said lever arm about its pivot axis relative to said base means; ratchet means on said one end of said lever arm; and pawl means on said support standard of said base means engageable with said ratchet means for releasably' locking said lever arm against turning with its free end moving toward the supporting surface, whereby during engagement of the load to be moved by said free end of said lever arm and turning of said lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, said roller support means will automatically roll on said track means in said predetermined direction toward the line of force applied by said free end of said lever arm against the load.

3. A moving device for moving loads away from a sup porting surface, comprising, in combination, an elongated track means adapted to rest against the supporting surface, said track means extending in a predetermined direction; roller support means adapted to roll on said track means in said predetermined direction; base means carried by said roller support means for movement therewith 'and having a support standard extending. transversely to said predetermined direction and beyond said roller support means; a lever arm pivoted at one end to the outer end of said support standard of said base means turnable about an axis located in a plane normal to said predetermined direction of rolling of said roller support means on said track means, said lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved; means for turning said lever arm about its pivotaxis relative to said base means; ratchet means on said one end of said lever arm; pawl means on said support standard of said base means engageable with said ratchet means; and resilient means on said base means for permanently urging said pawl means into engagement with said ratchet means for releasably locking said lever arm against turning with its free end moving toward the supporting surface, whereby during engagement of the load to be moved by said free end of said lever arm and turning of said lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, said roller support means will automatically roll on said track means in said predetermined direction toward the line of force applied by said free end of said lever arm against the load.

4. A lifting jack device for raisingloads from asupporting surface, comprising, in combination, an elongated channel-shaped track means of U shaped cross-sectional configurationadapted to rest againstthe supporting surface and extending in a predetermined" direction, said track means beingformed with a. pair of. opposite upstanding sides each of which is formed with a groove extending along, its inner surface; roller supportmeans. adapted to roll on said track means in said predetermined direction,

said roller support means having at least one axle extending at its opposite ends into said grooves and movable longitudinally therein during rolling of said roller support means along said track means; base means carried by said roller support means for movement therewith and having a support standard extending transversely to the direction of rolling of said roller support means and extending beyond the latter means; a lever arm pivoted at one end to the outer end of said support standard turnable about an axis located in a plane normal to said predetermined direction of rolling of said roller support means on said track means, said lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved; and means for turning said lever arm about its pivot axis relative to said roller support means, whereby during engagement of the load to be moved by said free end of said lever arm and turning of said lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, said roller support means will automatically roll on said track means in said direction toward the line of force applied by said free end of said lever arm against the load.

5. A moving device for moving loads away from a supporting surface, comprising, in combination, an elongated track means adapted to rest against the supporting surface, said track means extending in a predetermined direction; roller support means adapted to roll on said track means in said predetermined direction, said roller support means comprising a front axle and a rear axle and rollers rotatably carried by said axles; base means carried by said roller support means for movement therewith and having a support standard extending transversely to said predetermined direction and beyond said roller support means, said support standard being arranged in a plane extending between said axles; a lever arm pivoted at one end to the outer end of said support standard turnable about an axis located in a plane normal to said predetermined direction of rolling of said roller support means on said track means, said lever arm having an opposite free end adapted to engage the load to be moved; and means for turning said lever arm about its pivot axis relative to said support standard, whereby during engagement of the load to be moved by said free end of said lever arm and turning of said lever arm with its free end moving away from the supporting surface, said roller support means will automatically roll on said track means in said predetermined direction toward the line of force applied by said free end of said lever arm against the load.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 296,208 Mottram et al Apr. 1, 1884 416,990 Campbell Dec. 10, 1889 525,247 Wiser Aug. 28, 1894 935,727 Anderson Oct. 5, 1909 1,300,129 Darst Apr. 8, 1919 2,543,276 Buechler Feb. 27, 1951 2,551,483 Bartoe May 1, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,938 Germany Sept. 8, 1920 

